"I’m never under the assumption that you draft for need. You draft the best available football player on the board. ... Because, in the long run, they are the ones who will help you win the most games." - Scot McCloughan

Under the rules, it doesn’t matter that it wasn’t “official” during the draft. The land rush for free agents can’t begin until the draft ends. In Shepard’s case, a verbal deal was in place with Philly during the sixth round. At some point (and that point could already be now), teams will have agreements with undrafted players in place before the draft even begins.

While any team could have disrupted the agreement between the Eagles and Shepard by drafting the player, the violation comes from the fact that the Eagles got a head start on the process. The reality is that most teams do.

It will continue until the NFL enforces the rule. And if the NFL isn’t going to enforce the rule, then the NFL should just get rid of it.